2020 BMW 540i Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2020 BMW 540i has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 321,695 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

ENGINE 21V598000 2021-08-02 50,024 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 M340i, M340i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, X3 M40i, 2020-2021 X4 M40i, 745Le xDrive, 2019-2021 Z4 M40i, and 2020-2021 Toyota Supra vehicles. During engine start, the engine management software may cause loss of braking assist. Full mechanical braking (without…

Consequence

Loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the engine management software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 21V096000 2021-02-19 13,858 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2021 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, X3M, X4 xDrive30i, X4 M40i, M550i, X4M, X5 sDrive40i, X5 xDrive40i, X5 xDrive50i, X5M, X5 M50i, X7 xDrive40i, X7 xDrive50i, X7 M50i, Alpina XB7, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, and 8 Series Coupe, Convertible…

Consequence

If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the missing or reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rearview camera software and update it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 16, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

POWER TRAIN 21V046000 2021-02-03 28 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 530i xDrive, 540i xDrive and 2021 740Li xDrive vehicles. The output shafts (left/right) which transfer power from the driveshaft to the rear wheels may break due to a heat treatment error during supplier production.

Consequence

A broken output shaft can lead to a loss of drive power or a rollaway condition in a parked vehicle (if the parking brake is not engaged), increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the output shaft(s), free of charge. The recall began March 24, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 20V598000 2020-09-30 312 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these…

Consequence

If the driver relies on only the rearview camera image, the reduced rearview image view can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

BACK OVER PREVENTION 19V684000 2019-09-27 257,473 affected
Defect

BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe…

Consequence

The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

Complaints by component

ENGINE
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
Total complaints3

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“I am reporting a potential safety concern with my engine. The oil pumps are known to fail due to plastic internal components. Bmw has issued a new pump with metal parts, but existing engines are not being helped and if oil pressure drops the car can suddenly stop in traffic, creating a safety…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-02-27

“Component: engine oil pump (plastic internal variant) safety risk: sudden loss of motive power / engine seizure defect description: the oil pump in the bmw b58 engine utilizes a plastic tensioning/adjusting ring that is prone to brittle fracture. At only 38,000 miles, my vehicle suffered a…”

ENGINE · reported 2025-12-19

“Bmw g30 chassis vehicles equipped with the optional bowers & wilkins stereo have multiple owners reporting on bimmerpost owners forum that water incursion damages the front door midrange speakers on both sides of the vehicle due to poor water drainage design. Water is causing the speakers to short…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2024-04-19
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2020 BMW 540i as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.